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Mar 23, 2025 06:00am

Is Standing in the Gap a Lonely Prospect?

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Isaiah 6:8 depicts a moment in the life of the prophet when he had a choice to make. Given a vision of heavenly glory, he was approached by a seraph who touched his mouth with a lit coal and told him that it had blotted out his sin. Immediately following this, it says, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’”

This verse reminds me of another time God was seeking someone to send: Ezekiel 22:30, “And I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one.”

These are two heart wrenching contrasts in response to God’s search for someone to fulfill His calling. In one instance, a single person stood up and responded to God’s request, saying “send me!” In another, there was no one to answer the call. You can almost hear God’s request for someone to stand in the breach echoing across the walls, the responding silence deafening. And God’s lament puts a period on the whole sad endeavor: “but I found no one.” Can you picture His disappointment? Perhaps His frustration?

Anyone who has needed volunteer assistance before will understand that frustration. It seems that many times, our churches are full of people who want to see great things done, but don’t want to be inconvenienced by participating in the activity. Requests for help are met with awkward silence until at last, you must approach an individual yourself and say, “Will you help me?” At that point, rarely will they decline, but nor was their agreement of their own initiative. Some people at my church call this being “voluntold.” But this is not how God’s people should operate.

A begrudging response to a call to action will never be effective. Why? Because the heart of the responder will not be in it. A single volunteer acting with passion and energy is often more effective than a dozen half-hearted workers performing out of obligation. In Ecclesiastes 9:10a, the Preacher says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” Likewise, Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans.”

So, what does this mean? Should we decide not to respond if we feel like we can’t give it one hundred percent? Of course not! This is a matter of the heart, not of action. If we find ourselves indifferent toward a call to action, maybe it’s because we need to fix something within ourselves. Too often, we let the weight of the world pressure us into apathy. We see so much injustice and suffering in the world, and we feel burdened by it. In response, we allow ourselves to be dragged into a hopeless rut and convince ourselves that even if we were to act, it would be of little benefit because how can one person make a difference against so much darkness?

As an author, these are questions I sought to address in my first published novel. The main character returns home after some time away and finds his city trapped in the depths of poverty, lawlessness, and injustice. At first, he feels incapable of doing anything to help, but at last he can stand by no longer. He takes action, even though he feels like he’s alone in doing so, because he has grown tired of watching everybody else sit on the sidelines while innocent people suffer.

Or maybe you’re more familiar with this imagery. In the lead-up to the climactic moments of the popular superhero movie Avengers: Endgame, Captain America stands on a hillside. He and the other Avengers had spent the whole movie undoing the actions of the villain Thanos, who had wiped out half of all life. But as they finished, Thanos himself showed up to make a second attempt. He had already defeated Iron Man and Thor, both equipped with far more technology and power than Captain America had at his disposal. And to make matters worse, his army of fearsome warriors joined him. Captain America stood alone, looking out over an army…and he was going to fight anyway.

And then, swarming in from all over the world, help arrives. Both the Avengers he had worked with through the whole movie and those who had been previously wiped out by Thanos joined Captain America on that hillside, and he was no longer alone. But hear this: even had he been alone, he would have fought.

If all believers allowed ourselves to be burdened by the fear of acting alone, would anything ever get done? No, and we’d be worse off. On the contrary, if we all fought to overcome the apathy of inaction, we could join together to become a blazing beacon of hope to the world. Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” This was a command not to one individual, nor just to Jesus’ core group of twelve disciples. This was spoken during the Sermon on the Mount. Thousands were listening as He preached. This command is for all of us.

But sometimes, an individual must stand. Become an inspiration to those around you by being the first one to answer the call. You may find that, as you do, others will stand with you. It may seem lonely at first, but going forward in obedience to God’s call on your life means His hand is on you, guiding you and empowering you. Sometimes, it takes the first person making a stand before everyone else is emboldened to do the same.

Will you be the Isaiah of your community, humbly stepping forward to say, “send me”? Or are you part of a community like the one seen in Ezekiel, where God found no one to stand in the gap?